Eye of the Storm
by AspiringWriterGirl
Summary: Catastrophe- what no one saw coming. The Hoenn region never saw it coming, and in the aftermath of it all, things have turned dark. Roadside robbery, theft and assaults are on the rise, and it only gets harder for the new Pokemon trainers about to embark on their journeys. (Submitted OCs)
1. Chapter 1 - Kaitlyn

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Kaitlyn – she's my only character. In terms of other characters, Jacob belongs to Spidey108, Oliver – howponderous, Aimee – StormMoonRabbit, Jasmine – TreblePlayer67, Ashton – Apathetic Nonsense

A/N – So this is the first chapter of the story, enjoy! Be sure to review too!

**Chapter 01 – Littleroot Town**

Our first Pokémon trainer is seventeen year old Kaitlyn, and she was only travelling to the Hoenn region when it happened.

You don't know what happened? The storm – where were you when the storm happened, people don't forget about the storm that easily.

Kaitlyn was on a small passenger ferry coming into Slateport City when it happened. The torrents of wind ripped at the hull of the ship and a large rock tore a hole into the lower deck. As the ferry was taking on water fast, the captain made a decision to abandon the ship, but for Kaitlyn, she was just helping a small girl and her Cleffa safely onto the lifeboat when the ferry crashed again. She was sent into the ocean, and was being swept away from the safe hands of the lifeboats.

Floundering about in the rough waves, Kaitlyn had no way of getting to safety. The current swept her away for miles – even further away from the lifeboats. She continuously kicked her legs, trying to keep her head above the water, but occasionally, Kaitlyn would drop under the cold surface of the water. The shock sent her heart into overdrive.

"Spheal!" something squealed, lifting her above the water's surface, pleading Kaitlyn to take its help.

"Spheal?" Kaitlyn murmured, panting with exhaustion, but squeezing the spherical Pokémon as a flash of lightning hit the water in the near distance. If there was one thing that Kaitlyn didn't like, it was thunder and lightning.

Spheal paddled its flippers in speedy circles, powering the pair of them to the nearest bit of land.

The storm carried on and Spheal forced itself onwards through the rippling waves, floods of rains and the howling wind.

Kaitlyn's mind started to race and she thought about the slightly less important things. She began to worry about whether she would reach Littleroot Town to start on her Pokémon journey. Her sister, Hayden, had arranged for her to meet another girl n Rustboro City who wanted to start her Pokémon journey too. It was decided that the two girls would travel to the Littleroot Town Pokémon lab by going through the Petalburg Woods. Knowing this made Kaitlyn panic and fear what this newfound friend might think about being abandoned in Rustboro City.

"Spheal!" The Pokémon opened its mouth wide in anticipation.

Kaitlyn squinted at the horizon and a grin crept across her face when she saw the silhouette of a city below the dark gloomy clouds.

"Will this rain stop?!" Kaitlyn yelled above the thunderous noise of the rain, as if she knew Spheal understood her.

"Sphe-Spheal," her aquatic saviour murmured in agreement just before a wave splashed over the pair.

After they had tried to get close to land for a prolonged length of time, Kaitlyn was beginning to feel the exhaustion sweep over her whole entire body. The tiredness overcame her body as she feebly kicked to stay afloat.

"Zig-zag-goon!" a voice cried out faintly from in the distance.

Something dived down into the open water and swam towards our sinking character. Grabbing the straps of Kaitlyn's rucksack in their teeth, they pulled her up to the surface of the water and growled, hoping to catch their trainer's attention.

"Row – what are you doing?" a male voice called out. The guy hoisted what his partner had found in the water onto the deck, and was shocked when he saw a girl and a rucksack that one of the straps had been gnawed into.

"Row?" he asked as his partner clambered up onto the back of the small speedboat. "Who is she? We were meant to be looking for the underwater ruins ever since this storm cleared over."

"Zig-zag!" Row – his Zigzagoon, nudged the unconscious girl lying on the deck of the boat. "Goon, goon!"

The girl lurched into action, coughing and spluttering, emptying a lungful of water onto the decks. "What the hell happened?"

"And you are?" the boy asked.

"Kaitlyn – I was caught out in the storm and Spheal protected me for a moment, but I must have blacked out. Where are we?"

"On our way to Petalburg City – I'm Ashton by the way, and this is Row, she's my Zigzagoon."

In her head, Kaitlyn had now managed to piece together the fact that not only was she on her way to Petalburg City, but she was nowhere near Slateport City, and she had drifted for miles.

"Where's that Spheal?" Kaitlyn exclaimed abruptly.

"What? You mean this little guy I've caught in a Pokéball only this morning?" He held out a Pokéball to Kaitlyn. "It can't be yours – because Spheal's mine as I caught it."

"Okay, Ashton. Wait, I promise you, it's fine… I- I just. That Spheal saved my life and I probably wouldn't be here if Spheal hadn't saved me." Kaitlyn looked up at Ashton with bright blue eyes, deep down she hoped that Ashton would give the Spheal to her. "So… Do you know the way to Littleroot Town?" she asked, rubbing her eyes in an attempt to dry her face, despite having an already wet hand.

"Littleroot Town – I think I remember reading about that in the Hoenn guide, but I'm on my way there once I get this boat to shore. I said I'd give it back to the old guy later on today."

Kaitlyn held out her hand. "Thank you – I mean it."

"Err- you're welcome?" Ashton cautiously shook Kaitlyn's hand. "Come on, sit tight and we'll be in Petalburg City before you know it, and you might want to hold on. As Row would tell you; I am a bumpy driver."

"Let me, my father used to take me sailing around the Kanto region when I was a little girl with my brother and sister. Dad said I was always the best of the three of us at sailing – but that could just be because I was the youngest."

"I don't know, this isn't really my boat, and I don't want to have to explain to the owner why his boat has a huge whole in the hull… Not after he told me he insured it for hundreds, and thousands after the freak storm yesterday. I was surprised he gave it to me at all!"

Kaitlyn let out a slight giggle as she stood beside Ashton, nudging him away from wheel.

The wind rippled through the sail of the boat and the odd Wingull soared overhead. Above the pair, the skies were looking grey and overcast – the end of the storm was moving further away, but Row seemed hesitant. Normally, she would be at the head of the boat, feeling the wind rushing through her ragged fur, but now, she was almost in the center of the boat – far away from the sea and any wind.

"What caused the storm, Ashton?" Kaitlyn asked as she circumnavigated the sea towards the town that the other Pokémon trainer was heading towards.

"It was so out of the blue that I have no idea what caused it… But for all we know, it could just be a huge scale storm that happened. Not that the weather reporters do!" He paused momentarily, and looked out to the horizon. "Just wait until you see the devastation on Petalburg City."

"Why? What's happened there?" Kaitlyn asked, inadvertently looking away from head of the boat.

"Come on, surely you must know how a storm can affect a town on that scale, right?" Ashton raised an eyebrow, like he couldn't understand Kaitlyn's naivety. It was a humongous storm, of which it could be defined as cataclysmic – he just couldn't fathom it at all.

"Zig-zag-goon!" Ashton's partner sat upright as the boat approached Petalburg harbour. Row leapt off the front of the boat and onto the walkway beside the harbour. She fastened her teeth around a rope and growled as she pulled the boat into the harbour.

Kaitlyn's mouth hung open at the Pokémon's strength. "Oh my g- Is she alright? Stop her! She'll hurt herself!"

"She's fine, Kaitlyn. Row may be small, but she's stronger than she looks. Don't underestimate her strength because of her size." Ashton smiled slightly as he adjusted his glasses.

As Ashton handed the boat back over to its rightful owner, Kaitlyn stared wide eyes at her rucksack which Row had torn through one of the straps. The little Zigzagoon sped over to Ashton's side, disappearing in a red mist of her Pokéball.

Kaitlyn saw what Ashton meant when she saw how Petalburg City looked. The city itself was a little knocked and bruised. There was already reconstruction work going on on the Petalburg City Poké Centre. From what Kaitlyn could see, there was a huge gaping hole in the roof that was surrounded by scaffolding and a blue tarpaulin. Machoke and Machop were busy carrying materials up to the workers, even a Magby was heating up some metal and assisting in the welding process.

"That storm did that damage?" Kaitlyn looked at Ashton with big eyes. "I can't believe it – was anyone hurt?"

"Woah- calm down will you? Everyone is fine. Besides, Nurse Joy has it all under control." Ashton slipped his one strap rucksack over his body and turned to walk away.

"Oh don't be so rude, I'm just worried, that's all."

Ashton rolled his eyes, feeling like he couldn't get it right with Kaitlyn. "If you'll excuse me, I've got to go. You don't seem like you'd need or want my help anymore."

The girl's fists shook in anger. "Fine! You be like that- I'll make my own way to Littleroot Town!"

Storming through the main area of the city, Kaitlyn travelled towards a small forest that looked as though it was moving further into the countryside of the Hoenn region. Hopefully towards Littleroot Town.

As Kaitlyn started to wander through the forest, she felt a chilling wind blowing from behind her, and she was now regretting her wardrobe choice. It may have looked like a fashionable outfit with a purple top, blue tartan shirt, denim shorts, dainty white socks and converses, but this outfit was not designed for cold and windy weather.

"Just my luck…" she sighed.

Kaitlyn started to wish that she hadn't been so quick to allow Ashton to run away like he had done. Not to mention the fact that she was now undefended from attacks of Pokémon, or other trainers.

It was starting to get dark where Kaitlyn was walking, and with the darkness, came the noises of the nocturnal Pokémon. She could feel her heart thumping in her chest and she started to quicken her pace in the hope that she would reach Littleroot Town before nightfall.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something made Kaitlyn trip and clatter into the bushes that littered the side of the path.

"What was that?" she exclaimed, looking behind her to see nothing there. "Well that was weird."

"Give us all your Pokéballs and supplies!" a low gruff voice demanded.

Kaitlyn looked up to see a masked bandit looming over her with bright amber eyes. "But I don't have anything! I'm fresh off the boat at Petalburg from the Johto region!" she pleaded that he would just leave her alone.

"Well I'll just take your rucksack anyway!" The masked bandit grabbed the only intact strap of her rucksack and ripped it off her back. "Haha," he sniggered. "See you around, loner!"

Kaitlyn was about to run after him when she realised that it wasn't worth it – there wasn't much in her rucksack that couldn't be replaced. There was a lone Pokéball and maybe a potion. In general, there may have been an extra pair of clothes that would be better suited to the cold weather she was experiencing now. Apart from that, nothing else was really that important to Kaitlyn.

A dim light lit up the path ahead and lit up Kaitlyn inside – she felt hope that she was nearer to a small town.

"You are kidding…" she muttered when she realised that it wasn't even a town, or even a hamlet.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = I've been waiting to post the first chapter of this story – so glad I've finally written it! **** Tell me what you think of it – I'd love to know**


	2. Chapter 2 - Ashton

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Kaitlyn – she's my only character. In terms of other characters, Jacob belongs to Spidey108, Oliver – howponderous, Aimee – StormMoonRabbit, Jasmine – TreblePlayer67, Ashton – Apathetic Nonsense

A/N – Thank you for reviewing, favouriting and following this story, I hope you enjoy the next chapter

I'm surprised no one noticed that I labelled the first chapter – Chapter 01 – Littleroot Town yet it occurs nowhere near there! So at least this one is more realistic!

**Chapter 02 – Route 102**

Last we saw of Kaitlyn, she had come across a glowing light – which she originally hoped and thought that it would be a small town that she would be able to stay the night at.

The new explorer of the Hoenn region found herself looking at a small canvas tent that had been pitched under the shelter of the tall trees off the beaten path. In front of the tent was a campfire that a metal pot hung over. However, what was in the pot was the slightly charcoaled around the rim with a burnt meal and the fire was no more than embers.

"You have got to be kidding me," she muttered when she saw a particular Pokémon sitting guard in front of the tent.

A Zigzagoon – one that Kaitlyn knew as Row – her scruffy fur gave it away.

"Zig-za-goon!" Row growled at Kaitlyn and continued to call out to her trainer, like a guard dog alerting their owner of an intruder.

There was a rustling from inside the tent, Kaitlyn turned to walk away into the cold winds of the forest, but a voice caused her to stop.

"I knew it – I knew you would come back!" Ashton laughed upon realising that it was Kaitlyn – the girl he had practically fished out of the ocean, or that Row had. He looked bleary eyed as he peered out of the flap of the tent, grabbing his glasses and taking a while to adjust.

"No!" she said stubbornly as she turned to face him. "I did not! I came across your campfire and had to see who it was because I thought that you might be the girl I was supposed to meet in Rustboro City. But you're not, so I'll go."

"Don't be silly. You can't go wandering off in search of Littleroot Town when you are so far from Oldale Town – a place in between there and Petalburg City according to the guidebook. Besides, there are gangs and bandits out in these parts."

"Well, I'm braver than you think…" Kaitlyn replied weakly and began to feel the chill of the open forest air.

"Kaitlyn, don't be- er, I guess you can sleep in the tent…"

Her mouth could have caused an earthquake for hitting the floor. "No – no, I couldn't do that, it's your tent."

The next thing that happened was a woven blanket was thrown at Kaitlyn.

"You can take this blanket if you won't sleep in the tent…" Ashton disappeared back inside the tent, leaving the girl standing in the cold on her own with nothing but the clothes on her back and the blanket in her arms. It was like he didn't want to argue with her, or question her decision.

"Goon," Row sat up straight as a rustling could be heard in the near distance.

Out of the bushes, Row and Kaitlyn saw a Wurmple slide out and crawl along the dirt ridden floor. Kaitlyn completely lost her cool and staggered backwards, falling over a wood log that had been placed beside the campfire. A squeal passed her lips as the Wurmple's glowing yellow eyes walked towards, and then straight past her. Out of the corner of her eyes, she was sure that she noticed Row almost laughing – if it were possible for a Zigzagoon to laugh.

Bundling herself up in the blanket, Kaitlyn tried to make herself comfortable by the log making sure that no skin was left exposed to the ground of Route 102.

Early in the morning, Kaitlyn awoke to the smell of, something cooking. Originally, she hoped it had been bacon, but she opened her eyes and saw two sunny side up eggs sizzling on a black frying pan.

"Morning," Kaitlyn mumbled, neatly folding up Ashton's blanket in her arms. "Sorry about how dirty the blanket is…"

"Don't worry about it… I'll be able to clean it in the next river we come across. Come on, we better get going to Oldale Town – because I want to get to the Professor now. I want to get on over Littleroot Town as soon as possible. Oldale Town is the best place for you to wait for this girl from Rustboro City." Ashton noticed her blink rapidly, making him feel like he had overstepped the line.

"Oh… I was thinking that- that we would go to Littleroot Town together. We're both going that way so it makes sense that we go together." Kaitlyn stifled a sigh and tried weakly to hide it. "Doesn't it?"

"Fine – why not? But we'll be doing it my way, okay?" Ashton handed a plate of eggs over to her. "I'm only saying that because I've got a Pokémon partner whereas you, have nothing…"

"I will!" Kaitlyn snapped. "Well I would have had Spheal if you hadn't gone and caught it."

Ashton rubbed the top of his head, releasing some rogue hairs. "Hang on a little. I didn't catch Spheal – I was just playing with you, you know…"

Kaitlyn held back the first thing that came to mind.

A chilling wind rustled through the canvas of the tent making it flap uncontrollably. With Kaitlyn's help, Ashton was able to pack away the tent a lot quicker than he would have done on a normal day. For that, he was thankful, but maybe not so much that he had to share his food with her.

"Thanks for your help by the way." Ashton put his rucksack strap over his head and one arm. "That saved quite a bit of time."

A raucous squawk filled the air, alerting the pair of some other trainer's presence.

"We better get moving – you need to be careful, things have become dangerous after the storm. You of all people should know that."

"How did you know about last night?" Kaitlyn asked, sitting up straight, alert with curiousity. "You can't have known…"

Ashton raised an eyebrow at her, as if to ask 'what about last night?' "Can't have known what?"

Before Kaitlyn could answer, a small Taillow emerged from the bushes and delivered a swift peck at Row who lunged to the side. The Taillow shot up into the air, disappearing above the tree line and out of sight. Kaitlyn stared at the spot the Pokémon had disappeared through, when the bird dived down through another spot, ready to attack her. With a giant leap, Ashton pushed her to the ground where he landed beside her.

"Row – use Quick Attack!" he ordered, rolling over onto his back to see his Pokémon dart towards the Taillow that was gliding along the surface of the footpath.

There was a smack that made him grit his teeth – not because Row had landed an attack, but because Taillow had evaded the attack and led Row straight into the trunk of a large tree.

"You okay, Row?" Ashton called out, waiting for a response.

She leapt back up onto her feet and looked about for the feisty Taillow, nodding at Ashton.

"Maybe it's gone…" Kaitlyn suggested naively, standing up and cowering beside a tree.

She didn't want to personally feel the force of Taillow's Peck and knew that that Pokémon was not the one she wanted to raise herself. A whimper under the bush beside her caused her to crouch down on the floor.

"Oh no!" she squealed, undercovering a weak and defenceless Pokémon. "Ashton, this Pokémon's hurt! We need to get it to a PokéCentre right away. It's cold out here and I don't know how long it's been outside." Slowly reaching out for the Pokémon, she was scared when it growled at her. "It's okay, I'm here to help you. I promise. My name's Kate." Even though the growling continued, Kaitlyn placed her hands carefully on its fur whilst Ashton put Row back in her Pokéball. "See – I'm not going to hurt you," Kaitlyn said calmly, stroking the Pokémon's fur. "I'm going to pick you up now, but don't worry, it's all okay…"

As she picked up the Pokémon, she realised it was too weak to fight back and it gave in nearly automatically. "Ashton – which way to the nearest PokéCentre?" Kaitlyn asked directly.

"The quickest way would be to cut through the trees and completely avoid the path, hopefully that way we can stay out of trouble and we can avoid the ruins I've heard some Team Magma agents have been hiding out in." Ashton led the way, weaving amongst the trees as he flicked through the pages of a pocket map he kept in his back trouser pocket. "What's wrong with it?" He didn't want to admit it, Ashton had no idea whatsoever what the Pokémon was.

"I don't know," Kaitlyn snapped. "If I knew that, do you think I would be demanding to go to a PokéCentre?"

"Alright, alright," Ashton replied, speeding up so that he could get some distance between them. "Hurry up, you want to save that Pokémon, right?" he yelled over his shoulder, hoping she would run faster.

"I'm coming, hang in there little guy." She shook the Pokémon, hoping it would respond, but it didn't. "Quickly, Ashton!"

There was no one that wanted to get this Pokémon to safety more than Kaitlyn. She was a kind and caring girl who did whatever it could to make sure that each and every wild Pokémon she came across was safe and healthy. That's why this Pokémon was far more important to her than ever before.

"Te-ey…" the Pokémon mumbled, gnawing on the exposed flesh of Kaitlyn's arm, as if to say it wanted to be left alone.

Kaitlyn looked up to see Ashton running up a hill where the trees grew sparse. She felt her chest tighten the more that she ran, but she couldn't stop running when the need to get to the Pokémon Centre was so big. Deep down, she was desperate to get there, but there was also this niggling feeling that she might not make it.

"Ashton," Kaitlyn panted, feeling dry in her mouth as she struggled to keep up. "Do you have anything in your bag that could help?"

He turned and shook his head. "Nothing that will be remotely powerful enough in this situation. Only Nurse Joy will know what to do. The injuries look far too serious for any revive or potion to do any good."

By now, Kaitlyn had just about managed to catch up to Ashton, who had stopped at the top of the hill.

"It's going cold… It won't be able to last much longer," she replied, echoed by a whimper from the Pokémon. "Ashton – give me your jacket."

He folded his arms a little defensively, trying to say it wasn't going to help.

"Please…" Kaitlyn added dramatically, grinning when he finally shrugged his jacket off his shoulders and let her wrap up the poor injured Pokémon. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" Ashton asked, turning to carry on walking. "You don't really have anything to be sorry about."

"I thought you might think I was being a nuisance," Kaitlyn said, struggling to keep up with Ashton. She thought it would be polite to apologise, because she wasn't much use without a Pokémon by her side, and she was very reliant on him due to her own lack of a Pokémon partner.

The grass was wet with dew and possibly the rain from the previous thunderstorm, having only been out on a rescue mission, Ashton saw the true scale of the thunderstorm on the environment. It was beautiful to him and yet it was devastating to know the scale of the storm.

He reached the top of the hill quickly which allowed him to discover the quickest path to Oldale Town and the PokéCentre.

"This way, Kaitlyn!" Ashton called out over his shoulder, speeding down the hill and weaving amongst the bushes that were growing on the hill. "Come on!" He started to laugh, feeling the thrill of the race. The excitement was getting to him and he could feel his heart pumping in his ears. "We're nearly there!"

There it was. Oldale Town. It was a small, pretty and quaint little town that had the minimalistic and only the necessary amenities. Small clusters of houses surrounded a slightly bigger building with a flat red roof.

"It's the Pokémon Centre!" he exclaimed, pleased that he had managed to lead the way.

But when Kaitlyn caught up and the pair entered the Pokémon Centre, they realised that things weren't quite as they were before.

As a result of the storm and natural disaster, the centre had been out of power ever since, and there was only candlelight to work by.

"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Ashton, feeling that it was less than hopeless that the injured Pokémon would get the treatment it needed. He never thought that the storm could have had such an adverse effect on everything.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Hiya! There's another chapter done – I've also set up a forum topic where you can keep updated with the story and ask me any questions – but keep the reviews coming in!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Jacob

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Kaitlyn – she's my only character. In terms of other characters, Jacob belongs to Spidey108, Oliver – howponderous, Aimee – StormMoonRabbit, Jasmine – TreblePlayer67, Ashton – Apathetic Nonsense

A/N – Thank you for reviewing, favouriting and following this story, I hope you enjoy the next chapter

A/N 2 – If you are interested in following the story, or maybe even submitting a supporting character forum/Pok%C4%97mon-Trainers-Unite/160978/

So I'm changing the perspective to that of another of the submitted characters, but they are in Oldale Town – in the PokéCentre, so they are even closer to Ashton and Kaitlyn than he thinks, yes, it's a boy! Oh my-!

**Chapter 03 – Oldale Town PokéCentre **

The boy was perched on the end of the chair in the PokéCentre when the power cut out. He was making his way to Littleroot Town to see go back to his family after being allowed to go to Oldale Town and back, provided that he stayed at the Pokémon Centre in Oldale Town.

When the storm hit, he was just making his way into the centre – which was lucky for him because he may have been seriously injured if he didn't make it to the Centre.

But now, not even the backup generator was working because it had been struck by lightning in the storm. Now, there was very little that could be done to get the power back on.

"Chansey – find an electric Pokémon that can jump start the generator." The town's Nurse Joy was helplessly trying to find anything that might give the centre power.

She caught a glimpse of a petrified young boy, probably not older than fourteen, sitting on one of the blue covered chairs lined up against the wall. The boy clutched an egg in his arms and, even though his hands were shaking, Nurse Joy could feel something was wrong.

"Hello – are you okay there?" Nurse Joy asked, crouching down beside the boy. "Is this your egg?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm Jacob, and this was a present from my dad. He wanted me to take it here to see if you could speed up the hatching process."

The nurse's eyes dropped to the floor. "I don't think there's much I can do to speed up the process, it's a natural occurrence and only time can help this egg to hatch. How long have you had this egg?"

"About a month, nearly two…" Jacob replied, rubbing the top of the egg. "I thought it would have hatch by now, but no. At first, I thought it would be really cool to have a partner, but not now- because it's just taking too long."

"I wouldn't say that, it's going to happen eventually. Why don't you help me find something to power up the generator?"

"Yeah, that sounds cool." Jacob got up to his feet and tucked his egg into his rucksack. "What can I do to help?"

"Well, for a start, you can help Chansey find me an electric powered Pokémon. Then we might just be able to kick start the generator." Nurse Joy picked up a phone. "There's still no power on the mainline phones either – we're completely cut off from the rest of the region, let alone another region."

"Maybe we can still find a Pokémon?" Jacob said hopefully, unable to tell whether or not this Nurse Joy was coping with the disaster. The one in his hometown was quite the gossiping kind of nurse, but she looked exactly the same.

"Yes, yes… Perhaps that might be a good idea, because a good Thunderbolt attack would really tackle the problem," Nurse Joy replied, searching underneath the counter at the reception for something to use. "I'm sure there were some around here somewhere."

"What are you looking for exactly?" Jacob asked, leaning forwards a little so that he was resting on the counter and looking over it at a panicky Nurse Joy.

"Candles – or something we can use for light. It will be dark soon and we might not get power back on until then." Nurse Joy leapt up and slammed a box on the counter causing Jacob to jump back. "Here we are!" she exclaimed cheerfully.

"That's good then, isn't it?" Jacob said, trying to shed some positivity onto the situation.

The sound of something splitting filled the air, making Jacob look over his shoulder into his rucksack. Immediately, he thought it was his egg so he shrugged the straps of his navy bag. Peeping inside, he could see the egg that belonged to him, and it had cracked across the top. Slowly lowering the rucksack to the ground, Jacob went to pick up the egg. As he went to put it down on the floor, it slipped through his grip. He gasped as the egg shattered on the floor, revealing Jacob's first ever Pokémon.

"It's a Pichu!" he squealed with delight before awkwardly looking around to see an older looking girl and boy staring at me. "Sorry!"

"Oh my- that's the cutest little Pichu I've ever seen!" the girl exclaimed, rushing towards Jacob and his Pichu. "Aww…"

"What's that in your arms?" Jacob pointed at the teddy bear in her arms.

"Well before you ask, I'm Kaitlyn and this here is a Teddiursa and he's a little hurt right now, but from the looks of things, this PokéCentre isn't going to be able to help because of the power shortage… Maybe your Pichu could, you know…" This Kaitlyn girl was slowing her speed down a little, like she wanted to be crystal clear what she thought might work.

"But he's my Pichu – I don't know whether he'll be able to do it." Jacob held his first Pokémon close, like a toddler holds onto its safety blanket.

"I think that's a she, young man," Nurse Joy said, patting him on the shoulders. "But this young lady here is right. Would you like to try and see if she can start up the generator?"

There was an awkward pause as Jacob contemplated whether to allow his effectively new-born Pokémon to power up a generator nearly twenty times the size of itself.

"I don't want to hurt Pichu. Not now, she's too young, and it's not fair to put her through that. She might hate me forever if I let her do this."

"Well, we can't force you to do anything that you don't want to, but just think about what might happen if you don't let Pichu get the power going." Kaitlyn turned and walked away from Jacob towards the boy she had come in with.

Jacob knew she was telling her companion about Pichu and Jacob's refusal to help, which made him a little angry, but when he thought about it, he knew what the right thing to do was.

"Nurse Joy – I said, Nurse Joy…"

"Yes, what is it?" She looked up from over the counter and stared back at him. "Is something the matter?"

"Well, I'm not happy about it, but I want to see if Pichu has it in herself to power the generator."

"Really? That's a good decision, Jacob." Nurse Joy picked up a hand charged torch and began to pump the switch to make the torch work. "This should do the trick and light up the way to the generator."

It made the most annoying scrunching noise that echoes in the centre and made Jacob grit his teeth.

The youngster followed the Oldale Town nurse out of the PokéCentre, looking over his shoulder to see the older girl smile at him and nod a little too. This really got to Jacob, because he didn't have any older siblings and he felt a warm feeling from the girl, she seemed really nice and encouraging towards, despite not knowing anything about him.

"The generator's just around here, Jacob." Nurse Joy shone the torch at a wooden door that looked like a trapdoor sitting at a jaunty angle up against the centre. "It should be easy enough to get down to the generator, we just need to open it up." She opened up the trap door that revealed a stairway going down into the basement and the generator. "Hopefully Pichu will have it in her to power up the generator before any of the Pokémon upstairs die. I've never had one do that and I don't plan to either."

Following Nurse Joy down into the cellar, Jacob thought about whether the little Pokémon in his arms was so capable of powering a mighty and large generator that was almost twenty times the size she was. It was a bulky and huge thing that had a few dials that reminded him of the boiler that was in the attic of his house.

"You ready, Pichu?" Jacob asked, holding up the electric mouse in front of him.

"Pi-pi!" The little mouse nodded enthusiastically before leaping out her trainer's arms. "Pi- Pi-chu." She stood in front of the massive generator.

"Okay Pichu, just to be crystal clear, this is where you want to direct all that electrical energy." Nurse Joy pointed towards a large orb that was on top of the generator, but there was one adjacent to it on the other side. "But you mustn't get the electricity on this other one, because that's for the output energy."

"You got that, Pichu?" Jacob looked down at the yellow Pokémon who barely even turned. "Alright then… Pichu, use Thunder!"

The little Pokémon's ears twitched at the command and it turned with a dumbfound expression as it raised a paw to its mouth.

"What's wrong, Pichu?"

"Pichu doesn't know how to use Thunder, she only knows Thunderbolt…" Nurse Joy sighed, resting a closed fist on her chin.

"Okay." Jacob nodded, knowing all too well that this Nurse Joy now seemed more sarcastic, but she probably just wanted to get the generator working again. "Pichu, use Thunderbolt on that orb!"

Next thing that the young trainer knew was that he was jolting and his limbs were going into spasm on the floor.

"This is never going to work." Nurse Joy crouched down beside Pichu. "Okay little one, this time really focus on the top of the generator. That should do the trick. Alright Pichu, use Thunderbolt!"

Jacob sat up slowly to see his partner squealing with all her might in order to power up the generator, or at least kick start it. "Go on Pichu! I know you can do it!"

Something inside the electrical Pokémon clicked, and she gave it even more than she was originally. That power slammed into the generator's orb. A quiet ding could be heard over the squeals of Jacob's Pokémon.

He gritted his teeth in the hope that it was the generator reactivating. A dial on the generator bumped up a little on its scale. A tiny amp of power was being registered and a spark of electricity shot out from one orb to the other, the one that Pichu wasn't to touch.

Pichu coughed and spluttered, causing an end to her Thunderbolt attack. She dropped onto her backside and then was picked up by her partner.

"It's alright, Pichu. You did it, you gave enough power to the generator," Jacob said, cradling the delicate Pokémon in his arms. "I'm so proud of you – I knew you I found could do it."

Someone came running down the stairs to the cellar. "Nurse Joy!" the girl exclaimed. "The power has come back on, but the Teddiursa I found has taken a turn for the worse. Please come and look."

"I'll be right there in one second," Nurse Joy called over her shoulder as she fiddled with some switches on the generator and finally smacked it with a broom handle. "Let's go now," she added, moving an empty bucket to sit under a dripping pipe. "I hope the aid from Sinnoh and Johto gets here soon…" Herding the two trainers up into the main PokéCentre building, Nurse Joy went over to the operating room.

"Is Teddiursa your Pokémon?" Jacob asked, looking up at the older girl he knew as Kaitlyn now.

"Well, no, not really. But I certainly would like for it to be mine." She heaved a sigh. "At the end of the day, the decision isn't really mine…" Kaitlyn was about to sit down, but something stopped her, she was getting nervous. "I can't sit still. Ever since the power came back, I've been wanting for Teddiursa to get better right away. Only because I really felt some kind of connection with it." She noticed Pichu in Jacob's arms. "You've got a tough fighter there."

"Yeah, she's the best first Pokémon ever." He grinned, squeezing the little Pokémon. "Okay, time to return, get some rest Pichu."

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = so what do we think of our new Pokémon trainer Jacob? He's the youngest of the possible future group, but that doesn't mean he's at a disadvantage or anything. But let me know what you're thinking of the story so far – I'd love to hear from you **


	4. Chapter 4 - Jasmine

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Kaitlyn – she's my only character. In terms of other characters, Jacob belongs to Spidey108, Oliver – howponderous, Aimee – StormMoonRabbit, Jasmine – TreblePlayer67, Ashton – Apathetic Nonsense

A/N – Thank you for reviewing, favouriting and following this story, I hope you enjoy the next chapter

A/N 2 – If you are interested in following the story, or maybe even submitting a supporting character forum/Pok%C4%97mon-Trainers-Unite/160978/

So I'm changing the perspective to that of another of the submitted characters, but they are in Littleroot Town now!

**Chapter 04 – Littleroot Town**

Jasmine Archer sat on a branch that was high up in a tree with her legs out straight, resting on the tree. Her eyes were closed and she felt the wind blowing through her ponytail. She would have said it was peaceful, but it wasn't. Not after the disaster. The disaster had caused the destruction of the PokéLab. This ultimately forced Jasmine's father to open up their home to be the new make-shift lab. It took a while for her to get used to the presence of Professor Birch and an additional assistant making themselves at home in her house. Even if Professor Birch was content studying the Pokémon in the surrounding destructed area and was barely in the house with his research team.

"Miss Archer – are you coming down for dinner?"

The young wannabe trainer glanced down the trunk of the tree to see her mother standing at the base carrying a little mixing bowl.

"Mum!" Jasmine smiled before jumping down from the tree. "Of course I am, I wouldn't miss a meal for anything."

"Don't catch anyone hearing you say that. If people were aware of the fact that we had the storage bunker, then we would be in trouble because we kept it for ourselves." Mrs Archer developed a deep frown on her forehead.

"I know, but don't you think it's wrong?" Jasmine asked. "There are Pokémon and families that are struggling to cope – shouldn't we help them out? We could give them some food or something, couldn't we?"

"No- Jasmine, you don't understand. The bunker isn't going to last forever with us and the professor's team diving in there every meal, so can you imagine what it would be like if more and more people stuck their hands in on it. Trust me Jasmine, it's the right thing to do. There are reports of strange things happening outside of Littleroot Town and I don't want for Team Magma, or Team Aqua to come sticking their noses where it doesn't belong."

"Okay Mum, I trust you," Jasmine replied, still unable to shake the feeling that what they were doing was wrong. "But I don't agree with it."

"Jasmine," her mother sighed. "You of all people should understand the consequences of that disaster. We haven't seen Ryan in days. He was only supposed to be going to Rustboro City to collect something from a friend."

"I'm sure he's fine, Mum." Jasmine smiled, squeezing her mum's arm gently, hoping that she would stop panicking.

It was true, Jasmine's brother had gone to the city to pick up a package, but that was four days ago, and he hadn't returned home yet. All the worst thoughts flocked to Jasmine's mind and she was beginning to think that Ryan had been attacked and left beside the road to die.

"Trapinch is doing well though, for a newly hatched Pokémon." Mrs Archer followed her daughter into the kitchen through the back door. "I didn't know if the little one was going to make it or not."

"Mum- Trapinch is a strong Pokémon and we're going to be partners. I just can't wait until we get to go on our Pokémon journey, but the disaster sure mucked up my plans there."

"No- a mother's love mucked up your plans. I know what you're insinuating. Just because I said I didn't want you to go, doesn't mean that I was forcing you not to go."

"But you told me that if I went, then you would rent out my room! I'm not having someone living in my room. What if I came back and I couldn't stay in my room because someone was living there?" Jasmine squealed, distraught by the mere thought that her mother had.

"Jasmine, I was joking. Joking. You know, that thing when you don't really mean what you say. Besides, you don't have a tent and I'm not having you sleeping on the ground or powering on until late at night because you were trying to get to a PokéCentre." Her mother put the bowl to one side and watched her daughter help herself to an oran berry smoothie that had been made the night before. "I don't get how you can have that stuff… It's not even designed for humans. That's Trapinch's drink, you know."

"I know, but if it's good enough for Trapinch then it's good enough for me." Jasmine grinned, wiping the back of her hand across her mouth. "Re-fresh-ing."

"You are a funny kid…" Her mother smiled, doting on her child. "But going back to this journey, I would prefer it if you had someone to go with really. I'd feel like you would be safer, and I think you'd prefer the company."

"Of course Mum, I'd prefer the company, but because of the storm, there's no one to go with. I mean, my penpal, Rusty, she's already started her adventure in the Zolya region, and Erica's on holiday in the Montazul cluster. There's no one left."

"Don't be so melodramatic dear. Someone will come to Littleroot town and they'll be dying to go on a journey with you."

Jasmine felt happy whenever her mother complimented her. Most teenagers would have squirmed and felt sick at the pleasantries their parents bestowed onto them, but Jasmine liked it because she felt loved.

"Thanks Mum."

There was a knock at the door as Mrs Archer emptied the gravy like sauce into the tall and large metal pot.

"Would you get the door, Jasmine?" her mother asked, taking a wooden spoon from the drawer and stirring the meal in the pot.

Jasmine wandered through the hallway towards the front door. She was surprised to find a girl about her own age, maybe a little younger, standing in the doorstep.

_A possible companion? _Was Jasmine's initial thought.

"You are?" Jasmine asked enthusiastically.

The girl blinked in shock, caught off guard by the sudden abrupt question. "I'm Aimee – I'm meant to be journeying through Hoenn with some girl and I thought I'd come to the town where there's a lab. I was really looking for a place to stay for the night. The PokéCentre is a little-… It's not suitable for me to stay there so I've resulted in knocking on doors."

"Who is it Jasmine?" Mrs Archer called through to the house.

"An axe wielding murderer Mum, can I let them in?" Jasmine replied sarcastically.

"If you think so, but only if they take their shoes off please."

"If you wouldn't mind…" Jasmine pointed at the girl's trainers. "I'm Jasmine."

"Like I said, I'm Aimee. Aimee Vipond, and I have had the worst journey to get here." Aimee kicked her shoes off, marking the skirting board which made Jasmine's eyes widen.

"Can I put your bag somewhere?" Jasmine looked at the sports bag that was hanging in the crook of the girl's elbow.

"No- I'll keep a hold of it, if that's okay."

Jasmine shrugged her shoulders and watched the girl. "Relax, this is the Archer family's house. My mum will offer you the spare room."

"Of course, come on through stranger." Mrs Archer was a little sceptical of the girl who Jasmine had welcomed into her home. "Hello there, I'm Jasmine's mum, Mrs Archer."

"Greeting Mrs Archer. You have a lovely home, I'm Aimee and I'm every so thankful to have the opportunity and hospitality of staying in your home, but don't worry, I won't be here long. I should be going to Rustboro City – I just want to see as much of the Hoenn as possible."

"Well, that might be a problem child, the Hoenn region isn't what it used to be… That storm tore the place apart." Mrs Archer lifted the pot off the stove and placed it on a wooden chopping board. "Grab some bowls out of the cupboard, Jasmine."

Aimee intervened once she realised which cupboard the bowls belonged in. "Here."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome." The newcomer turned to Jasmine. "So what do you want to become? Are you a Pokémon Master, a breeder, or something unique?"

"I would like to be a gym leader one day. Me and Trapinch are willing to go all the way. What about you?"

"Well I was supposed to be meeting a girl in Rustboro City, but the storm mucked up everything, and she didn't turn up for days. So I decided my best bet was to travel to Littleroot Town and see if she had come here because of the lab." Aimee sat down at the table with a tepid bowl of soup in front of her. "It smells, delicious, Mrs Archer."

"Thank you, Aimee. That's very nice of you. So tell me about your family- what are they like?" Mrs Archer joined the pair at the small rectangular table in the corner of the kitchen.

"Trap-Trapinch!"

Jasmine peered under the table to see Trapinch centimetres from snapping Aimee's toes clean off with a single snap of its jaws.

"No, Trapinch!" she squealed, scooping her Trapinch up off the floor. "You're going in your little pen now…" Carrying her slightly aggressive Pokémon to the garden, she placed him in the large pen that her father had created for him so that he had his own space and didn't wander off. "You'll be alright in here for the moment."

After dinner, there was a little shower that confined Aimee and Jasmine to the living room. Still, Aimee kept a tight hold on her bag – probably because she had her most valued possessions in it.

"So what is Rustboro City like now?" Jasmine asked, crossing her legs and leaning back in the armchair.

"Oh, em, well it's not too badly affected. Maybe a power outage here and there, but because it's a little built up, the technology is on the scene to fix the failures. All that needs a little work is the gym."

At the mention of the gym, Jasmine's mouth hit the floor. "What? What's wrong with the gym? Is Roxanne okay, what's happened?"

"I don't know…" Aimee mumbled. "There was a huge press team and some woman interviewing a representative of the gym, but I couldn't see Roxanne anywhere. It was really crowded in Rustboro City because lots of people thought that aid and resources would be there because it's a larger city that is connected to Petalburg, Fortree and Verdanturf- and also Oldale, maybe Dewford too… Fortunately, I was able to grab a ride to Oldale town yesterday and then walk to here in a day, but my food supply is running so low that I needed to stop somewhere and get whatever I can. Any suggestions as to where I could get some?"

"Well our family has-" Jasmine started, only for her mother to interrupt.

"No- supplies are depleting here too, I'm afraid. I have resulted to cooking everything I can together in a huge pot stew. It's not the best method in the world." Mrs Archer placed a lid on the pan. "We're running low on gas and there's a backup generator in the basement. It's not good, but it gets us through the day slightly fed, with enough energy I'd say."

"That storm really mucked everything up, right?" Aimee rested her fist on her chin. "I can't believe how difficult things have been for me and my Pokémon because of the storm. Seeing Rustboro City so devastated, and then Petalburg City only just being repaired – I'm surprised that no aid has come to the region."

"What region are you from?" Jasmine asked, eager to know who this girl really was.

"I'm from the Orange Islands- I go a ferry into Slateport and arrived in Rustboro City a day before the storm hit, and that was a horrendous night. I never want to experience anything like that ever."

"It wasn't pretty here either. My Trapinch got trapped under a fallen tree branch… He's still recovering. And my brother never came back from his trip." Jasmine didn't like how slow Trapinch's recovery was, but at least it was improving.

"Listen – I think it might be nice, but I want to know what you think…" Aimee looked at Jasmine. "Do you want to travel with me through the Hoenn region? You can battle all the gym leaders and enter tournaments and I can study the Pokémon and your strategy. What do you say?"

Mrs Archer made a decision a little before her daughter. "Oh that sounds wonderful, doesn't it Jasmine?"

"It sounds like a neat idea – why not?"

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Hopefully the wait for this chapter wasn't as long as the wait for the third chapter! And we have met not one, but two new characters – what do you think of Aimee and Jasmine? Make sure if you haven't already to leave a review **


	5. Chapter 5 - Kaitlyn and Bryony

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except Kaitlyn – she's my only character. In terms of other characters, Jacob belongs to Spidey108, Oliver – howponderous, Aimee – StormMoonRabbit, Jasmine – TreblePlayer67, Ashton – Apathetic Nonsense

A/N – Thank you for reviewing, favouriting and following this story, I hope you enjoy the next chapter

A/N 2 – If you are interested in following the story, or maybe even submitting a supporting character forum/Pok%C4%97mon-Trainers-Unite/160978/

Let's go back to Oldale with Jacob, Kaitlyn and Ashton

**Chapter 05 – Oldale Town**

Kaitlyn pondered her next move – admitting who she was and getting on with her journey with Ashton, and now Jacob too. She had asked the younger boy if he and his Pichu wanted to go to Littleroot Town to see the Professor there, and Jacob Richardson leapt at the chance, and since Nurse Joy had asked Pichu to charge up the generator, Kaitlyn and Jacob had had plenty of time to exchange stories with one another.

The truth about Kaitlyn, was that she wasn't even called Kaitlyn. She was called Bryony, and Bryony was a Pokémon actress. She was someone who was well known in her home region – the Zolya region – mostly for being on television for Pokémon shows and modelled some Pokémon trainer clothing ranges. This busy schedule meant that she hadn't had the chance to have her very own Pokémon journey and compete in the Pokémon contests. But from pleading with her mother to let her go, this was her chance to be her own person.

"Kaitlyn – are you coming?" Ashton asked, standing in the doorway of the PokéCentre.

"Um- yeah, hang on a second. I just got to call my mum and let her know that I am here safely. She'll probably have heard all of the news reports about the storm…" Kaitlyn replied, heading over to the only video phone that was there.

She assumed that all of the other phones were left broken as a result of the storm. Waiting for her mother to pick up, was an excruciatingly long time and it was unlikely that she would pick up, but she had to try call her. Another reason for the delay could be that her mum was busy, or that the connection to Zolya was weak.

"Come on Mum…"

"Bryony-"

"Mum, don't call me that!" Kaitlyn gritted her teeth.

"Oh Bryony, I'll call you what I decided to name you when you were a baby. Why do you insist on hiding who you are? Are you calling yourself your twin sister's name again?"

"Mum… Erm, well yeah, but I really only called to say that I hope you're all okay. How is Kaitlyn doing?"

"Well she is actually taking your place and filming some action film on the Montazul island cluster. Nothing unusual then. Your cousin Lorelei just got back from her adventure in Zolya so the pair of them are having a good old catch up."

"Oh well I have arrived in Oldale Town now, about to go onto Littleroot Town to see if I can get myself a PokéDex of the professor."

"I'm so glad – I was waiting to hear from you because of this tremendous storm I've heard so much about…"

"Well everything is fine Mum, I've met two other guys who are also going on a journey and I can't wait to do contests and get gym badges!"

"I'm so proud of you- but try and stick to just one of them, gym battles or contests… Whilst I'm talking to you, I believe Hayden has been called out to the Hoenn region, so she'll be in Rustboro City interviewing Roxanne, the first gym leader. You two should meet up! It's amazing what a storm can do, isn't it? Okay sweetie, I have to go now, I love you lots and I can't wait to hear more about your adventure. Oh- I sent a present to the Pokémon Professor over in Littleroot Town, so make sure to pick it up from him first when you get there!"

Before the teenager could reply, her mother ended the call, but she was pleased to know that she would soon be seeing her sister in Rustboro City.

Even if there was still quite a lot to do before Kate got near there. Over to Littleroot Town, back through Oldale Town and Petalburg City.

The storm didn't help at all. Everything was made far more difficult since it happened. Towns and cities were in devastation and contests or gym battles were incredibly hard to come across, but they were still running- just less frequently.

"Kaitlyn, come on, let's go…" Jacob was right beside her, making her unaware as to whether he had overheard the Bryony issue she had. "Why do you call yourself Kaitlyn if that's your twin's name`?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "It's just something I've always done… We all try to hide our true identity around new people or different groups of people. You know?"

"Should I call you Kaitlyn, or should I call you Bryony?" Jacob scratched his head, wondering what her answer would be. "I like Bryony more than Kaitlyn…"

"Okay, maybe I'll just be Bryony from now on then, how does that sound?"

_Bryony. It's a little nicer than Kaitlyn I guess. My twin may be called it, but I prefer Bryony… And it will certainly make everything easier, because I had moments where I would completely forget about the name change and practically ignored Ashton whenever he asked me some questions. Now to try and tell Ashton this whole situation… _ Bryony thought to herself.

On the way out of Oldale Town, Bryony told Ashton the truth about her name and he pretty much shrugged it off saying that everyone has things that they would rather hide from people.

Bryony, Ashton and Jacob were walking down Route 101, barely passing anyone. The youngest explored the taller grass in the hope of finding a wild Pokémon that he and his Pichu could fight, and possibly capture. In his rucksack, he had one spare Pokéball which he wanted to keep until he found the right Pokémon.

"Be careful Jacob, don't wander too far!" Bryony called out, looking over in the direction of one of her companions.

"Why are you worrying so much?" Ashton asked, a short chuckle escaped his lips. "He's a kid and he has to learn to be a little adventurous and kind of deal with the consequences of his actions." He then started to look around. "Which reminds me, where is that Teddiursa now?"

Bryony heaved a huge sigh. "I don't know. This morning I woke up and went to see Teddiursa, but Nurse Joy said it ran away in the middle of the night, or really early in the morning…"

"So you're still without a first Pokémon?"

She nodded. "I guess you're right then… But my mum says she sent something to Professor Birch, maybe it's a Pokémon?"

Ashton smiled. "Well, I'm sure you'll find a Pokémon soon. You just got to have a stroke of luck- that's all."

"Bryony!" the pair heard Jacob call out from the long grass.

They rushed into the grass, trampling it underfoot and hearing the swish of the grass as they disturbed it. Bryony called out to the young Pokémon trainer, but he remained quiet so she called out louder. It was Ashton who found him first.

Jacob was standing parallel to a little Poochyena. It was a small dark grey hound with beaming yellow eyes that were locked onto Jacob – the fight was on.

"Poo-chy…" it growled, glaring at the young boy.

"Looks like you better release Pichu now, Jacob. This is going to be your first Pokémon battle." Ashton folded his arms and watched.

"O-okay. Come on out, Pichu!"

The spritely little electric mouse yawned, stretching up skywards. Pichu blinked rapidly as her little black eyes focused. Then she growled at the Poochyena, the Pokémon that was threatening her trainer. Sparks of electricity bounced off her little cheeks as she prepared herself for battle.

Poochyena lurched forwards and slammed into Pichu. Bryony gasped as Pichu was sent flying backwards, she hadn't even realised that Jacob wouldn't know what he was doing. Calling himself a Pokémon trainer was enough for Bryony to believe that he knew what he was doing, but she was wrong. Poochyena seemed to chuckle at Pichu and Jacob's inexperience at battling.

"Erm, oh I know what to do!" exclaimed Jacob, grinning widely. "Pichu, use Thunder!"

Pichu smiled in a sort of dark way – like she knew exactly what to do. Sparks of electricity zig-zagged their way through the air and collided with Poochyena. Their opponent shook it off, showing its sheer strength. Pichu's trainer racked his brain to find a way of defeating his opponent.

"Oh, Pichu, use Charm!"

"Charm?!" Ashton and Bryony were both just as shocked as the other when they realised that their companion was using Charm to help defeat Poochyena, but heaved a sigh of relief when Poochyena shook it off.

Ashton was aware of the fact that Charm could have some seriously negative and awkward effects for Pokémon – Row had been caught under the effects of the attack once before which resulting in him picking her up and hauling her away from their opponent. Even though it was an opponent he wanted to catch.

"Pichu, dodge it!" Jacob commanded, beginning to really enjoy the battle that was happening. "Nice one!" he yelled when Pichu leapt aside into the longer grass. "Now, another Thunder attack whilst Poochyena is recovering!"

Jolts of electricity surged through the air again and connected with Poochyena's head, causing it to get knocked back into the bushes. Jacob's hands darted into his rucksack, fishing around in it for a spare Pokéball. He went in pursuit of his foe, disappearing amongst the bushes.

Minutes later, he emerged from the bushes with a saddened expression slapped across his face and stared blankly at his two fellow trainers.

"Poochyena's not there- it's gone…"

The three searched for Poochyena for a while, but Jacob was right- it had gone.

"Well I'll learn for next time not to let it out of my sight if I want to catch it. Rather than try and find Pokéball I mean." Jacob put the Pokéball back into his rucksack and zipped it shut. "Should we set up camp for the night?"

"We might have a slight issue there…" mumbled Bryony, scuffing the dirt with her converse baseball boots.

"What is it, Bryony?"

"Well, oh it doesn't matter…" she replied calmly. "What do you think about camping under this patch of trees? It's under the cover and far enough away from the path, meaning that we won't be ransacked by anyone. But close enough that we won't struggle to find it in the morning…"

"Here sounds good," Ashton shrugged his rucksack off his shoulder and opened the zip. "Here." He held out his own tent to Bryony who stared at him in disbelief. "Come on, don't look at me like that. There's no way I could let you sleep outside on your own again- I was wrong to let you do that in the first place, but I'm sure Jacob won't mind if I sleep in his tent. I'm having my sleeping bag, though you're welcome to the blankets I have. Don't argue, it's better that way, and much safer."

"Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?" Bryony held the canvas bag of the small tent, not letting Ashton let go just yet. "I don't mind…"

"No, it's the best thing to do, I guess."

"Okay – goodnight Ashton, goodnight Jacob…" Bryony said, opening up the zip of the tent after expertly constructing it.

"Aren't you going to have some dinner?" Jacob asked, adding some kindling to the fire he was building. "I don't have much, but I have a few tins of food that I wouldn't mind sharing."

"Oh, yeah. In the midst of the frantic running about- I completely forgot about food… Which is most unlikely me."

Just as we were finishing our dinner, Row's ears suddenly pricked up and she began to growl.

"What is it, Row?" Ashton asked, reaching out to touch his partner.

"Go, Makuhita!"

_A Makuhita? _Bryony thought to herself, questioning it because she had no idea what a Makuhita was like.

"So give me all your stuff!" A rough looking trainer stepped into the light of the fire Jacob had built.

"No way!" Jacob squeaked, holding onto Pichu who looked eager for a battle.

"It's alright Jacob, leave this one with me…" Ashton said, smiling at the thought of a match that might test Row.

**Thoughts from AspiringWriterGirl = Hiya! Long time no write, right? :L I can only apologise for the delay between chapters but I hadn't been in a writing mood… I'm back now **


End file.
